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1. Whistling is considered to be a male dominated activity. Women attempting to whistle were labelled as unfeminine.
2. Whistling can denote many moods, in particular either happiness as above, or as a way of taking your mind off an unpleasant activity.
3. The song ‘Whistle While you Work’ was written by Frank Churchill in 1937 for the Disney movie, The Seven Dwarfs. The dwarfs made the notion of whistling while you work popular as they carried out their task of sweeping the room.
4. To this day people still whistle at work, often much to the annoyance of workers around them. Whistlers are often unaware they are producing sounds that annoy and disturb those around them.
5. Whistling was considered unlucky or superstitious in many occupations or professions. Actors believe whistling backstage can ruin a performance. If someone was caught whistling backstage in a theatre they’re sent outside to turn around three times and can’t come back in until invited. In other cases they were instantly sacked for bringing bad luck. Sailors believe whistling attracts the wind.
6. In 1786, a 22-year-old French nobleman, Marquis de Pelier, was arrested by the police of King Louis XVI, and promptly locked in solitary confinement. His crime, whistling at the king’s wife, Queen Marie Antoinette.
7. Whistling can be annoying to others at times, especially if the whistler is not in tune. One of the strangest facts I came across is that whistling is illegal in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. If you whistle there and it disturbs the peace, especially between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am, you’re likely to attract a fine of $500.
8. Whether whistling is used as a method of signalling, an expression of sexual desire, an escape from boredom or an indication of happiness, it seems to be a complex, yet natural human reaction.
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